


Cookie Decorating, Secret Santa, and Other Christmas Shenanigans

by illyalien



Category: Original Work, Our Hometown
Genre: Christmas Party, Found Family, Multi, T rating for language, cookie decorating, dumb kids, like seriously it's just like... dumb friend bonding and stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-30 20:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15104405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illyalien/pseuds/illyalien
Summary: Sam doesn't like parties, but she does love her friends. After a grueling semester, the group takes a well-deserved break at the Hodge's house for a Christmas/winter holidays party.  Alternatively titled "Christmas Bullshittery".This one might actually be canon but I can't tell.  Set a year after the main story during the winter holidays.  Spoilers ahoy.





	Cookie Decorating, Secret Santa, and Other Christmas Shenanigans

**Author's Note:**

> i keep writing things about kids going to parties even though i've been to???? literally none in the past year.

 As far as Sam _knew_ , Christmas wasn’t for another two weeks.  But she wasn’t really keeping track anymore, despite her planner being filled with reminders to study for finals, and turn in late work, and call her mom.  Finals were actually kicking her ass this time around, and yet Sam couldn’t seem to find an excuse to turn down the invitation to Autumn’s Christmas party.

“Well, we’re going to call it a ‘winter holiday’ party, just so we can get Mallory and Beatrice to come,” Autumn explained after school one day.  “But just between you and me?” At that, Autumn leaned in closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. “It totally doesn’t matter.” She pulled away grinning.  Sam nodded, and ignored the spreading pink blush across her face. If Autumn noticed it, she didn’t say anything, and they went down to the pizza place after that, like every other day.

And that was how Sam found herself standing in front of her mirror, fussing with her hair and checking her outfit for the nth time.  It was a plain black skirt that reached her mid-thigh, and a floral blouse. She had thrown her yellow cardigan onto her bed, and was about to grab it when she realized that the blouse was see-through.

“Damn,” she hissed between her teeth, and unbuttoned her shirt quickly to grab a camisole.  As she turned back, Journey was standing in the doorway, looking down at her phone.

“You ready to go, kiddo?” her sister asked, not bothering to look up.  Sam shook her head, pulling the cami over her head, and rebuttoning her blouse with fumbling hands.  

Sam stood in front of the mirror, checking that her eyeliner looked even, and her lipstick wasn’t smeared.  She sighed, flattening her hair with her hands. Journey looked up then, and let out a sigh.

“These are our friends, Sammy.  No one’s going to judge you.” Journey shook her head, then paused.  “Much.”

Sam let out a groan, and grabbed her cardigan and phone, shoving Journey out of the doorway, and into the hallway.  They walked into the living room, and Sam took one last look at herself in the reflection of the window.

“Done checking yourself out yet?” Journey mumbled, handing Sam her shoes.  Plain black flats that Sam had bought just the other day. Sam nodded, and she wasn’t lying that time.

* * *

The car ride was pleasant.  Beatrice had been waiting to pick them up for five minutes, and Sam apologized profusely, but once she stopped, the music in the car was enough to calm her down.

Beatrice and Journey talked in the front seat, whilst Sam fiddled with her phone in the back.

She listened to Beatrice complain about Juliet’s music taste, and Journey rave about Evelyn’s guitar lessons.  Sam didn’t say that Autumn had made fun of her for listening to “Say Something”, or “Thinking Out Loud”, because it just felt _weird_.  They were actually dating their crushes, although Beatrice would call it an infatuation that led to intense requited love.  Sam didn’t make her move, Autumn did. And after that, it just was the same old thing.

Sam watched the trees turn into buildings as they came back into town, and the familiar sounds of Aschport filled the air.  It didn’t take long for them to get to the beach, and Sam opened the door of the car immediately. The cold air bit into the skin that was still bare, and Sam relished every moment.  It was a Saturday evening, and she was going to be with her friends.

Journey and Beatrice lagged behind, but Sam strolled up to the front door, knocking on it lightly.  To her surprise, Lennon opened the door, and gave her that million-watt smile that never failed to impress.  

“Howdy, Sammy.” Sam didn’t wince at the nickname, instead smiled back at the boy.  He’d be graduating soon, and leave for college. She might as well be nice to the boy that she’s known all her life.

“Howdy yourself, Lennon.” She nodded to him, and he stepped back so that she could come inside.  Immediately, the house was a warm hug that squeezed tight around her. Sam breathed in the smell of nutmeg and salt, and turned to see that Journey and Beatrice had finally caught up.

“Wow, you guys really cleaned up the place,” Journey said, before punching Lennon lightly in the arm.  He stumbled back dramatically, clutching his arm as if it would have actually wounded him. Journey laughed, filling the room with arguably the best sound in the world.  Arguably.

Beatrice smiled at Lennon, but didn’t say a thing.  They all hung up their jackets on the coat rack, and followed Lennon to the kitchen, where there was still cookie-making in process.

Sam searched for Autumn, to no avail.  She instead found Faith Ballard, looking like a housewife in her apron and dolled-up hair.  She clearly had put effort into her outfit as well, but it looked so much more _natural_ on Faith.  She looked up at Sam and caught her staring.  Sam expected a scowl, or an insult, but the holiday spirit seemed to have cleansed Faith of all of her bitter nature.  The redhead smiled at Sam, and handed her a plain sugar cookie shaped like a Christmas tree light.

“Please decorate some,” Faith said, gesturing to the plate of naked cookies and the several tubes of icing.  “We’re kind of shorthanded.”

Lennon looked up at the ceiling and shook his fist.  “Because _someone_ is taking their sweet ass time up there!”

Sam looked up in time to hear stomping from the floor above.

“I’ll be down in a sec!” She heard Autumn yell.  That familiar warm feeling flooded her chest, and Sam couldn’t help but smile.

Faith pointed at the cookie in front of her.

“Cookie.  Decorate. Now.”

Sam nodded, and took a tube of icing from the girl, and started to outline the tree in green, filling it in.  Beatrice and Journey joined in, only after Beatrice criticized how Eurocentric the whole thing was. Lennon handed her a gingerbread-man shaped cookie, and told her to draw the “evil white man”.  They all laughed at that.

Autumn came down the stairs a few minutes later, her hair bobby-pinned back so that it wasn’t sticking out on all ends.  She was wearing a plain white shirt, no print, but her jeans were red and wholly intact. Sam tried not to stare.

“You’re staring.” Autumn nudged her, taking the spot beside her best friend.  She took a cookie from Faith, and started to draw a black-and-orange candy cane.  Faith protested, but Autumn kept going.

Sam laughed nervously.  “Ha-ha. Yeah…”

Autumn looked Sam over once and whistled.  “You look nice today.”

Sam decided to take that as a compliment, and beamed as she finished the Christmas tree.  Faith handed her another, but it was slightly deformed.

“Conjoined twins,” Faith pointed out, and gestured to the fact that the two gingerbread men were stuck together.  Sam shrugged.

“They could be holding hands.”

Faith smirked, and for a second Sam saw her glance between her and Autumn.

“If you say so.” Faith continued to draw on her cookie, which was a star.  She turned to go and grab the sprinkles, and Lennon leaned over to try and write ‘You tried’ on it.  “Lennon!” Faith yelled, swatting him lightly on the shoulder, pulling the icing away from him. She paused, and looked at it.  She handed it back to him, and he kept doing it.

Sam smiled, and started to draw on the gingerbread men.  She started to draw herself, and stopped when she realized that she could do the super cheesy thing that she’d always waited to do, and when she finished icing in her own features, she started on Autumn’s.

There was a knock on the door, and Lennon went to answer it.

Moments later, the sound of laughter filled the house again, and Juliet, Ryland, and Erica came into the kitchen.  Juliet was holding two bags, and Erica was holding another two. Ryland beamed at the group, and gestured to the girls.

“We brought gifts.”

Erica frowned at him, and nudged him slightly.  Their demeanor hadn’t changed a bit, not even after they started dating.  

“Juliet and I went shopping, Ryland just wrapped them,” Erica clarified, but Ryland’s hands went up in defense.

Faith laughed, and started to walk out of the kitchen.  “You guys didn’t have to do that,” she said, her voice trailing off as she led them into the living room.

Beatrice set down her icing to go and follow them, and the sound of Juliet shrieking and giggling soon followed after she left.  Journey looked at the cookie that Beatrice had drawn, and pointed to it. Sam leaned over to see.

“Aw,” Sam crowed.  It was Juliet. Kind of.  Her hair was a bright yellow, and her skin was cookie-colored, but it was nice, considering Beatrice’s utter lack of artistic ability.  She knew that her girlfriend wouldn’t care, and Sam knew that Juliet would love it all the same.

Autumn looked down at what Sam was doing, and cooed herself.  She picked it up gingerly in her small hands and held it up.

“Couple goals, amiright?” she asked the room.  Journey and Lennon clapped, and when Faith came back into the room, she rolled her eyes, but patted Sam on the back.

“You’re really good at drawing, Fitz,” she commented.  “With icing, at least,” she quickly added. Sam smiled at her nonetheless.

They finished at least two dozen more cookies with Juliet’s help, who breezed through seven like it was no big deal.  Mallory and Evelyn arrived, and after that it was decided to finally do their secret Santa.

Journey and Beatrice went back to the car to go grab their gifts, and Sam followed.  She grabbed the pink-and-blue back that she had picked out herself, and when she came back into the house, Faith had started making hot cocoa.

“Alrighty,” Autumn explained once they were all gathered around in the living room.  It was a pretty tight fit, and Juliet and Beatrice had to sit on the floor, though they didn’t seem to mind.  Sam sat on the couch, her knees tucked to her chest, heart pounding so loud she swore everyone could hear it.

“We’re going to start with Lennon, and go around counter-clockwise.  After you give your gift, sit down and wait for your turn. Don’t open it until everyone has their gift, and then you can.  Once everyone’s done opening their gifts, Juliet and Erica can hand out theirs.”

Everyone agreed pretty quickly to these terms, and Sam grabbed the bag beside her tightly.  Her knuckles went white, and she knew that she would probably embarrass herself. What else was knew?

Lennon started, and dramatically handed Evelyn her gift, which was a bright green box covered in small cats.  Evelyn took it, equally dramatic, but thanked Lennon profusely.

“No prob,” he said, grinning widely.  “Consider it thanks for sticking with the band a whole year round.”

Evelyn sat back, and drew her knees to her chest, inspecting the box closely, as if she could figure it out just by its dimensions.  

Autumn went next.  She handed Beatrice an oddly shaped package that was wrapped poorly in black and orange wrapping paper, but the girl took it nonetheless, thanking her politely.

“Did you give my girlfriend a _bong_ , Hodge?” Juliet asked, raising a brow in tease.  Autumn shrugged.

“Seemed like she needed to cool off, honestly,” Autumn said nonchalantly.  “But no, it’s not a bong.”

After that, it was just the exchange of presents.  Mallory had given Faith a bright pink bag that smelled like chamomile, and white streamers came out of it.  Erica exchanged looks with Juliet before handing her a white envelope, promising good things. Ryland reached over the table to give Journey a small package that made a noise when she shook it.  

Juliet gave Sam a look before grinning evilly.  Or, if Sam didn’t know her any better, she’d think it was evil.  Juliet reached behind her back to grab a large box, twice the size of her own head.  At that, a few of them groaned.

“There was a price limit, Jules,” Lennon warned, before Juliet placed the box to the right of the couch.  She poked her tongue out at him, and winked at Sam, as she sunk to the ground to examine it.

Beatrice and Lennon laughed when she just gave him a potted plant outright, but she had wrapped the pot in green wrapping paper.

“It’s the pot that’s a surprise.” Juliet covered one half of her face so that she could whisper to him.  Lennon grinned, and took the pot eagerly. It was a small basil plant, and would probably die in this weather, but Lennon promised to keep it safe.

Everyone looked to Sam as she fiddled with the bag at her side once more.

“Okay, it’s um… It’s really lame so…” she mumbled, but Journey nudged her shoulder in encouragement.

“Who’d you get?” her sister asked softly.  Sam looked up at Erica and smiled weakly. Her upperclassman raised her eyebrows excitedly, and reached out for the bag.

The weight made her outstretched hands drop, and she smiled at the familiar weight.  Erica looked up at Sam, and she swore she mouthed “Thank you.” Sam smiled at her, and tucked a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear, looking away quickly as a pink blush spread across her face.

With a flourish, Journey grabbed the white bag that had been sitting by her feet.  It was small and light, but she presented it to Autumn like it were the key to the city.

Autumn took it with both of her hands, and averted her eyes to what was inside.  She mumbled something about Journey’s poor wrapping skills, and waited for Evelyn to go.

Evelyn gave Mallory a really small package that Sam was pretty sure was a mixtape-CD, and finally, Faith gave Ryland a forest green bag that was hefty enough that Erica had to assist him in taking it from her.

Once they were all sat down, and the air had finally settled, Autumn lifted her hand like they were about to start a race.  She looked them all individually in the eyes before slicing her hand down sharply. “Go!”

They all simultaneously tore into their gifts, and a sequence of  aw’s and cooing followed after. Sam started to tear into the wrapping carefully, when Juliet glanced over at her, and gestured for her to start opening it faster.

Sam did as she was told, and tore the wrapping paper with careful hands, and once it was almost entirely unwrapped, she stared back at a cardboard box.

She looked around at all of her friends, and turned to see Autumn standing behind her with a boxcutter in hand.  She took it, thanking her, and Autumn sat down beside her, waiting for the reveal.

“What did Journey get you?” Sam asked.

Autumn shrugged.  “A couple of CDs and an iTunes gift card.  Also twenty bucks, but I’m apparently ‘required to take Sam to a movie’ so I guess that was for both of us.”

Sam smiled in an attempt to stop her blush from looking too eager.  She silently cursed out her sister for interfering with her not-relationship with Autumn.  She pursed her lips as she started to open the box.

At some point, once they were all done opening their presents and thanking their gift-givers, everyone started to crowd around Sam and her giant box.  Juliet and Beatrice nudged each other playfully, because _of course_ Juliet would tell her girlfriend what she got.

Sam lifted the flaps of the box to reveal a bunch of stuff.  It was like a mystery box, but way too personal for Ebay. Sam reached inside, and pulled out two things out of about three dozen: a roll of camera film, and the Harry Potter dvd set.  She looked to Juliet with furrowed brows.

“It’s like… a bunch of hand-me-downs.  Plus a few extras.” She looked to Lennon and sneered.  “I only spent ten bucks putting it all together, _Hodge_.”

Sam nodded, and looked at it all.  It looked like Juliet had also folded a few shirts and pants, maybe some dresses, and stuffed them at the bottom.  She had put some (completely fresh) candy in there as well. She looked to Juliet, and smiled again.

“Thanks so much, Jules.” Sam stood up to give her a hug.  She still stood barely half an inch taller than her, but Juliet didn’t make it weird.  She rested her chin on Sam’s shoulder and squeezed her tight.

“I take care of my friends just fine.”

“Speaking of which…” Ryland started, but Juliet cut him off.

“I want everyone to talk about what they got first!  Just so we know if we showed you guys up in any way with these _awesome_ presents we got.”

Lennon raised a brow.  “I’m pretty sure bringing extra gifts at all is showing us up.”

Juliet gave him a frown, but smiled quickly as she clasped her hands together, looking at what everyone got.

Sam glanced nervously at Erica, who lifted up the two books that Sam had gotten her.  She was sure that she had read them both before, but Erica nodded at her.

“Good taste, Fitz,” Erica said finally, tucking them under her arm.

Eventually, they all cleaned up the wrapping paper mess, and Juliet herded them together in preparation for the last gift giving of the night.

“Now,” she started, “I understand that we have not been friends for very long.  However, you’re all a hell of a lot cooler than any friends I’ve ever had. So.”

Juliet gestured for Erica to hand her one of the big bags that they had brought in originally.  

“Erica and I went on a quest to buy you each something that we thought would mean a lot.  Especially coming from a Cali girl with bad taste in jeans.” She narrowed her eyes at Lennon with that remark.  She didn’t say anything more, just began to set all of the presents out on the table. And Ryland’s wrapping was actually pretty good.  Sam examined her small box, and it seemed like it had been done with care. He sat on the other side of the coffee table, and she saw that he was blushing.  Erica had her legs draped over his lap, and was pointing to each of the presents that people were supposed to get.

Sam waited for the opportunity to open it, when Juliet finally let them go.  She opened it, slowly this time, and revealed a very small wooden box. She hesitated to open it, and pried the metal latch open with a satisfying _pop!_

She stared a the box for a moment, and then breathed a sigh of relief.  It was a necklace and earrings set, with sunflowers. She looked up to smile at Erica, who was already arguing with Beatrice over whether or not Ray Bradbury was an acceptable gift for the holidays.  She was holding a hardcover copy of Fahrenheit 451, and even if she was talking in her debate tone, she was smiling.

Erica finally looked up at Sam, and raised her brows as if to ask if she liked it.  Sam nodded, holding the box to her chest. She didn’t put the earrings in until she got home, but the necklace was almost immediately around her neck, the chill of the metal against warm brown skin almost enough to surprise her.

* * *

The next half hour was spent cleaning up the mess in the living room, and then after they were done, Sam found herself sipping root beer from a red solo cup, and sitting on the stairs that led up to the bedrooms.  She found herself looking around the house, taking it all in. Lennon and Autumn’s grandmother didn’t celebrate Christmas, or any winter holiday, and yet she allowed her grandkids to have a full run of the place. Although Autumn would have never admitted it, Sam knew that Autumn was at least fond of the holiday.  It was most likely her second favorite, right behind Halloween.

Sam was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice when Autumn had joined her on the stairs until she was talking.

“Did you like the party?” Autumn asked, her voice low and level.  Sam nodded, and wasn’t even lying about it. Autumn nodded. “Good.”

Autumn looked at Sam again, and before Sam could say anything, Autumn was smiling.

“You do look really nice tonight.”

“Yeah?” Sam asked.  She wasn’t stuttering--yet--but only because she didn’t meet Autumn’s eyes.  She looked at anything else on her face. Her lipstick, which was red and raw, but quickly fading from her drink.  Her eyebrow, which was still healing from her poor excuse of an eyebrow piercing. Her nose, and the tiny mole just to the side of it, which was obscured by the large white patches on her face.  Sam couldn’t breathe normally all of a sudden, and was caught up in it all.

Autumn didn’t say anything for a good, long while, before she nudged her shoulder.  Sam looked at her, and made the mistake of looking in her eyes. It didn’t last long, because Autumn tilted her chin up, and Sam’s eyes followed to the ceiling above them.

God.  Fucking.  Damn it.

A small sprig of mistletoe hung above the stairs.  Autumn wasn’t smiling, but the ghost of a satisfied smirk waited on her lips.  Sam almost didn’t catch herself before Autumn touched her shoulder.

“Only if you want,” Autumn said.  “I mean… You were really good last time.  And the time after that.”

Sam felt her face go immediately hot, and she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  She knew she would start blabbering if she opened her mouth, so she just nodded.

“I need to hear you say yes, Fitz.”

Sam nodded again, and in the quietest, quickest voice she could manage, she whispered, “Yes.”

Autumn finally smiled, and leaned in, cupping one side of Sam’s face with her hand, while her other found Sam’s, and their fingers intertwined so neatly.  Like this was how it was meant to be.

Their lips pressed against each other’s lightly, it almost didn’t happen.  But Autumn leaned in further, and Sam pushed back, grabbing Autumn’s arm and pulling her towards her.  She smiled despite herself, against the kiss, and Autumn let out a choked laugh.

They pulled away, but only because there was suddenly an applause from the front room.  Journey and Beatrice stood near the door with folded arms, but they were smiling too.

“About damn time.” Journey looked between the two of them and sighed.

Beatrice looked to Journey and smiled, then back at Sam.

“We’re gonna start heading out Sam.  So unless you want to catch a ride with Jules…”

Autumn looked at Sam.  “You wanna spend the night?”

Sam glanced at Journey, who shrugged and sighed.

“Stay safe, you two.” Was all she said, before going out the door.  Sam furrowed her brows, and looked to Autumn.

“Can I borrow a shirt?”

“And sweatpants?  Yes, Fitz. Always.”

 


End file.
